2012 Prediction League - Game 2; v Port Vale (home)

Div3North · 18-08-2012, 20:08

Accrington Stanley

V

Port Vale

2012/13 Prediction League – Game 2 ; v Port Vale (home)

So ………. Two of League Two’s unbeaten sides clash at Fortress Crown!

In administration since last March; the Administrators (Begbies Traynor) talking to new prospective purchasers after the preferred bidder (Keith Ryder) – according to the media - failed to complete a deal to buy the Club by an agreed deadline

; no further points deduction (Begbies say) – about the only good bit of news around for the Valiants at the moment

; their last two friendlies (v Coventry (lost 1-0) and Tranmere (drew 1-1)) played behind closed doors because of outstanding maintenance work needing to be completed at the ground - the club said the decision was enforced because they’d been "unable to carry out usual work during the summer due to their financial position"; and a bit of a kerfuffle with the players and the PFA over the legality / validity of new contracts offered to them by Begbies ………..

The good news, apparently, is that the club can survive for the full season ……

The bad news appears to be that if they haven’t got new owners by the end of the season BT will determine that there are no suitable purchasers out there, and fold the club ………

I said it before last season’s home game; if you have any sense, you wouldn’t have Micky Adams’ job for all the tea in China ……….

Worse – if there is a “worse” – were the departures in the summer; came 5th May, and PV had only three players with contracts going past 30th June – Gareth Owen and Adam Yates at the back, and midfielder Doug Loft; they then lost 2010 Player of the Year Montserrat International (captain) “tough tackling holding midfielder” Anthony Griffith (25) to Leyton Orient (where he’ll team up with Michael Symes ); ex Pirates winger / striker Sean Rigg (23) signed for Oxford; and former strike partner Marc Richards (67 goals in 181 League games since he signed for PV from Barnsley in 2007

) joined Chesterfield ………. Gone, then, are the lethal days of Richards (Marc) and Richards (Justin) ……Gone, too, are the 27 goals that Richards (17) and Rigg (10) filched last season.

Through the murk and mist of the transfer embargo, Micky Adams managed to sign six new players; ex Stevenage, Bristol City, Dundee and St Johnstone winger Jennison Machisti Myrie-Williams (24); Ashley Vincent (27) – another winger – who counts Wolves and Cheltenham among his clubs – signed from Colchester; ex Stevenage (Irish) MF Darren Murphy (26) – formerly of Cork, and Cobh Ramblers (sounds like a fell-walking society …

) – joined, having had an horrendous two years with injuries; Welsh international CB Richard Duffy (26) arrived from Exeter; and GK Chris Neal (also 26) signed, having failed to agree terms with Shrewsbury. That’s five ………………

Sixth and final signing was David Artell (31) – once of Morecambe, Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Mansfield, Chester and, most recently, the skipper of Play-Off winners Crewe – who arrived in early May

and left again for Northampton this week

. Cobblers Boss Aidy Boothroyd (who PFA Chairman Clark Carlisle predicts will get the Cobblers promotion this season ‘for sure’) said of him;

· “He's been promoted three times and he's a senior figure. He knows League Two inside out and he's the coagulant that will connect the other bits and pieces."

Thanks for sharing that, Aidy ……………..

Artell made his debut for Northampton in the (Al) Capone Cup at home to Cardiff, who had eight players away on international duty, and started with 5 teenagers; he was booked after 3 mins 47 seconds

, scored the equaliser after 37 minutes

, and claimed the win as the Cobblers dumped Cardiff (Youths) out ……. Could be a fun season ………….

They had a decent preseason, did Vale, winning their first 6 friendlies by a massive total of 25-0 (Alsager 8-0

, Biddulph 5-0

, Newcastle Town 2-0, Athlone Town 5-0, Galway 3-0 and Ilkeston Town 2-0); they hosted The Dingles in the First Round of the COCup last Tuesday, but sadly lost 3-1, ex Man City, Barnsley, Tranmere and Morecambe MF Chris Shuker (30) having given them a 9th minute lead which lasted just 120 seconds…….

Their League campaign began today at Vale Park against a Barnet side described as “disappointing” – surely they can’t avoid the drop on the last day of the season for a fourth consecutive year?

- and Vale had a “comfortable” 3-0 win, heaping more troubles on the Bees (apparently there used to be a lot of bee-hives near their ground

) to add to their 5-1 thumping at Birmingham in the League Cup; goals came from Louis Dodds on 8, Myrie-Williams with a penalty on 20, and Tom Pope after 75. It’s probably not a fair examination of Vale’s abilities – Barnet are high on many people’s list to go down – but a win is a win is a win ………….

And they’re joint top of the League

. With us!

Our League head-to-head is even-stevens - W3 D2 L3 F13 A12; two victories in 08/09, both by 2-0; a 2-2 and a 2-1 loss in 09/10; 2010/11 saw a 2-0 defeat away but a 3-0 win at home (our goals from Sean McConville (currently unemployed), Ian Craney and Andy Proctor); 2011/12 turned in a 4-1 thumping in Burslem and another 2-2 draw at Fortress Crown in March, when Wigan loanee GK Lee Nicholls (now on loan at Northampton) didn’t cover himself in glory by punching a cross backwards towards our goal and onto the head of their defender John McCombe , and then letting a shot from Shuker go through his arms; happily, goals from Padraig Amond (on 45), and supersub Will Hatfield two minutes from time got us a point. Vale do have a one-win advantage, though, having tipped us out of the FA Cup in 2010/11 …….. Our day will come!

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 21st August. Our best start to a season since the opening day of 2008 – 09

(when we started with a win at – would you credit it – Port Vale); belief is high, the motto is “Keep the Faith” – so we will …….Won’t we Ladies and Gents? Lots to play for, both for Team Cookie and the PL players, so get your bets down, one and all ………….3 points for the Stanley and 5 for all of us

! Life is good …………………..

Good luck to everyone ………… and thanks for playing!